you washington now with shannon bream. >> shannon: hurricane sandy is the real deal. the monster storm already responsible for nearly 5 dozen deaths in the caribbean. it is expected to affect most of the eastern u.s., upwards of 60 million people. we have got fox news team coverage of the storm and a new concern, the vote. some speculate sandy could disrupt the election, something neither campaign wants to hear. it's forced both candidates to cancel events in crucial swing say thees. we will talk to governor bob mcdonnell. i'm shannon bream, america's news headquarters live from the nation's capitol starts right now. we are nine days away from the election and the candidates are focusing on the battleground states.

voting is rounder way in florida and several other state, so what will it take to sway the undecided voters who have yet to commit? joining me, a romney supporter, congressman, thank you for your time today. >> hey, glad to be with you. >> reporter: stephanie cutter said this morning, they have momentum, they are racking up a number of key editorial endorsements and they feel good about where they are. how do you respond? >> i wouldn't trade places with them. i think there is an air of desperation at team obottom a. mitt romney's rolling, he got the great endorsement from the des moines register, the polls show us moving in the right direction. i think the country knows its off track. we can't afford four more years. they feel comfortable, they are willing to make that change. >> shannon: democrats have repeatedly said, they believe they hold the advantage with the

early voting, which in some cases started weeks ago and maybe before the folks made up their minds in the first deigate, the second debate, the third debate. how do you think that's going to impact the race? >> the first debate will be one of the most pivotal moments and just watch the debate, you will see how governor romney did so much better than president obama. even the most liberal people say governor romney well outshined the president. that really helped with the early voting. the ground game in the key states is pivotal. but mitt romney's moving in the right direction. they can't afford four more years of barack obama. >> shannon: something the president has had to talk a lot about and fielded a lot of questions about, of course, the deadly attack in benghazi. four americans left dead and a lot of unanswered questions at this point. the house has held one initial hearing on this. there are a number of investigations underway. what is your impression so far

about what have you learned and not been able to learn? >> what's unfortunate, the white house has not been transparent. they promised it, but they have not been candid. yesterday, a local aquilliate in colorado asked the president, did they deny a request for help and the president couldn't answer that basic question. a lot more questions we have four dead americans and people injured. and it's just sad, we have to make sure that it never, never happens again and we can't slow down on the investigation because there is an election in place. i think we are will be slow walked. but there is a lot more to learn and the white house has not been transparent. >> shannon: a spokesman for the national security council said neither the president nor anyone in the white house denied assistance to the calls for help out of benghazi. is it fair to lay this at the president's feet? >> well, the president-- the buck stops with the president.

the president said as much. of course, these are decisions that the president has to make. this is a fire fight that started at 9:40 at night, local time in libya and went past 4:00 a.m., where we had more people killed and went into the morning. so, yes! it bigs the question, were they requested? did the president demand that we get in and save the people? there are hours unact accounted for, as to where the ambassador was. and the state department testified they could witness this in realtime. we know there is a videotape and they could witness this in realtime. they testified to that. so a lot more questions, when asked directly, the president department answer the question. >> shannon: quickly, military as assets. you traveled with general ham. what do we know about the military assets that were available throughout the region and whether or not they were approached to step in? >> i can tell you, first-hand

account in my meeting with general ham dwe have resources in the area? yes. did we have proximity isn't answer is yes. asked why we didn't send in the asset, the general said he was not requested to do so, meaning that somebody higher up than him, a four-star general, which there are not a lot of people between him and the president, didn't request him to take action. that's what is so concerned. so did the requests percolate up from the ground from the people there? we will have to see what the answer to those questions are. was he directed by the president or the secretary of defense? he said, no. >> shannon: as you know, there are very few people above a four-star general, that narrows the field of who has the answers. congressman, thank you for your time. >> thanks, shannon. >> shannon: hurricane sandy is expected to make landfall on tuesday morning, around the

delaware coast with storm urges up to 8 feet. we are feeling it up and down the east coast. states of emergency have been declared from north carolina through new england. and this rare hybrid storm that follows sandy may wreak even more havoc. we have more live team coverage. we go to the fox extreme weather center and rick. >> reporter: it's all one storm, becoming one big storm. a storm like we have never seen. if you live anywhere from illinois to mississippi, to the east, you are going to feel the effects of this storm. very big already. you can see the cloud cover from canada to south carolina, rain has been consistent in the outer banks and we are seeing rain in parts of new jersey and much of the state of pennsylvania. this is the precursor, we are 36 hours away from the main event,

an incredible wind event across the northeast, into the mid-atlantic and stretch across the greys great lakes. the area around chicago has lake-effect flooding and watches in effect because we are going tow see strong winds from lake michigan. that goes incredibly far inland. it's a monster storm. 30-mile-per-hour winds in the deep south, where you can see the darker blue, winds that are going to be in excess of 50 miles per hour. it is going to start toward the big cities along the i-95 corridor and kn continue all the way through the day and the high winds get back to mish ban and illinois. that's one piece of it. there will be snow across the areas. but the most devastating event will be the storm surge here in new york city, long island and new jersey. we'll see the storm surge flooding, farther to the south and the outer banks, where we find elizabeth pran in kill

devil hills. what are you seeing? >> reporter: rick, i will actual you, this storm is relentless. we have been getting pummeled by 50-mile-per-hour wind gusts for 6 hours and a sideway, very, very cold rain, filled with sand. if you look at the surf, this is supposed to be low tide, you can barely see the beach here. very, very punishing waves. so people are afraid that the storm is even preventing a low tide from happening, so homes are only protected by the sand dunes. if we have 24 to 48 more hours of this condition, you can imagine the type of serious flooding we will be facing here, not only flooding, but beach erosion. the main thoroughfare, nc12, which takes you all the way up and down the outer banks, part of that is closed and the outlying barrier islands that are only accessible by ferry service, obviously, not available at the moment. so the people on the ilans have no assistance at this time.

we also know there are a number of power outages, by the power companies here, so people have a long road ahead. we will be seeing these conditions now, continue for a day or two and then it will be heading up your way, back to you. >> yeah, thanks so much. that's one of the things, it is a long duration event, 24, 48 hours likely. major power outages will be a big problem. so many people are without power, we'll see people without power, by the time we get to election day, next tuesday. shannon. >> shannon: a very unwanted complication in an already very tight race. thank you very much. stay tuned to fox news for the latest on hurricane sandy, we have several ways to track the storm online. one cool feature, on our home page, a link to my fox hurricane dot-com.

interesting and useful information on foxnews.com. as the benghazi scandal continues to unfold, calls are mounting for the obama administration to explain why military forces were not deployed during the deadly attack. last night on fox, the father of a slain navy seal demanded answers about yesy his son's repeated calls for help were denied. senator mccain is among those requesting release of surveillance material. we have more now, to keep us updated. jennifer, what's the latest? >> reporter: the latest, it is correct, i have learned from a senior intelligence source there is a complete video, internal surveillance video at the consulate that show who is the attackers were, what they looked like, the u.s. government is in possession of that video. and it would shed some light on who it is that is behind the attack. what we have been reporting and

we have a source that was present during the attack on the annex, the cia annex, about a half a mile-- the second location, away from the consulate, about a half a mile away, i'm told, on foot, about a mile, if you drive. our source is telling us that about 9:40 p.m., they placed their first radio contact from the annex, saying they were hearing gunfire and wanted permission to engage and to go to the consulate. they were told by their base captain to stand down. that base captain was on the radio to the station chief in tripply, as well as -- and the assumption was that the station chief was in touch with our headquarters. one hour -- less than an hour later, about 10:30 p.m., the again -- the team that included tyrone woods and about five others requested permission, they wanted to go and help at

the consulate. they imbue that the ambassador was missing and they were taking fire. they were again told to stand down by the base captain who they presumed was delivering a main from higher headquarters. they denied that -- they disobeyed orders and went on foot. tyrone roads and about five others, who were armed, they went on foot, i am told they climbed over walls and shot as they went. they got to the compound. they helped rescue those who were inside the compound, the consulate, they could not find the ambassador, but ty made their way back to the cia annex and they got slightly ambush to the way back. it took them awhile. they got there at midnight. they made a third radio contact, requesting specifically, air support and an ac-130 specter gunship, they were told none were available, none were on the way. they were denied air support and what frustrates the source that i am speaking to and has been

confirmed by other sources, what frustrates them is that tyrone roads and glen doherty who had subsequently come in from tripply, the capitol, had laser capability on the scproof they had coordinates for where the mortars were fired from and there was sporadic gunfire in the four hours when the final mortars killed tyrone and glenn and no air support ever come. >> shannon: these men -- >> unbelievable here oh what tyrone road woods and glen doherty did, there could have been many more casualties if they had want acted the way they d. but the frustration is that they felt there could have been more air support or support from above that could have helped them save more lives on the ground. if permission had been granted earlier to go to the consulate, they feel they may have been able to make a difference. what the cia says and the

response from the other side is that the base captain was walletting to coordinate with libyans, they wanted a libyan escort, they wanted to not go in unprepared and so they were waiting for help from the libyans, but that was slowing things down and that's when tyrone woods and the others decided to go on foot. >> shannon: their families and their loved ones deserve to know everything that happened. you have pushed hard on this and broken a lot of news, so thank you. >> thank you. >> shannon: senator john mccane is one of the many people wonder why they didn't sunday in forces. saying our assets should have been better prepared. >> there are forces all over the mediterranean and europe. they were not at a state of readiness that they could have intervened. the incredible aspect of this is that it was well known that there were two attacks on -- on

the facility, as you know, in april and in june. >> shannon: there is a lot more from senator mccain in bret baier's special investigation, benghazi, new revelations, today at 3:00 and at 10:00 eastern, information you will not hear anywhere else. with nine days until the election, hurricane sandy is blowing the carefully scripted schedules out the window, forcing president obama and governor romney to change their plans, but it is not slowing them down. we have the latest from the trail. >> president obama will leavemented everd.c. and fly to florida, do a campaign event in florida tomorrow and fly back to washington to monitor the storm. because of sandy, the president has cancelled a campaign stop in virginia tomorrow and one in colorado for tuesday. the white house says president obama is getting regular updates on the storm and said the

federal emergency management agency, or fema, has already deployed teams and prestaged resources to potentially affected states and remains in close contact with emergency responders and states up and down the coast to insure there are no unmet needs. one concern for both campaigns is that the storm could hinder early voting in the east coast battleground states, but the obama campaign says it thinks early voting overall will be a plus for them. >> our people are coming out. ohio, florida, the first day of early voting in florida, record numbers of people are coming out to vote. something like we have never, ever seen. that's a sign, it's a sign of momentum behind the president's re-election. >> shannon: joo due to the coming storm, governor romney cancelled his events in virginia and will link up with paul ryan in ohio and the two of them will campaign in that key state.

ohio's g.o.p. senator rob portman says the momentum in that state is going in romney's direction. >> i have been at 6 of the rallies over the last week, i have been at about a dozen victory centersarn the state and the energy and enthusiasm's on our side. it's really interesting to watch. but, look, we were down 5 to 10 points before the debate. after the debate, we are about dead even and it's moving our way. >> reporter: the first romney/ryan event starts in a couple of hours today. >> shannon: thank you very much. keep it here. in the next hour, i will ask the virginia republican governor, how canceling three campaign evens in his state could affect romney's chances there. we have been seeing a lot of political ads on tv, but if you live in a swing state, you may be overwhelmed and sick of them. we want to know, if you live in a swingswing state, are you tired of the ads, phone calls and polling, if not, do you feel

like you recall being ignored? hurricane sandy, the super storm is pounding the east coast. peter doocy is live in reboboth beach, delaware. hello. >> reporter: hi, shannon, the ocean is very, very angry here in delaware, even the though the storm is a few hundred miles away. after the break, i will tell you what the folks here are doing to get ready. managing my diabetes is part of my life,

between taking insulin and testing mylood sugar... is this part of your life? freestyle lite test strips? why, are they any... beep! wow, that hardly needs any blood! yeah... and the unique zipwik tab targets the blood and pulls it in. so easy. freestyle lite needs just a third the blood of onetouch ultra. really? yep, which is great for people who use insulin and test a lot. max and i are gonna run out and get them right now. or you can call or click today and get strips and a meter free. test easy.

introducing the new droid razr maxx hd by motorola. now more than ever droid does. [ female announcer ] some people like to pretend a flood could never happen to them. and that their homeowners insurance protects them. [ thunder crashes ] it doesn't.

stop pretending. only flood insurance covers floods. ♪ visit floodsmart.gov/pretend to learn your risk.

>> shannon: hurricane sandy is on the move. people along the delaware coast are getting a preview of what sannie has to offer, as they work to baton down the hatches. the showers and winds will get scadder and become stronger. peter doocy is live in rehoboth beach, delaware with more. >> reporter: shannon, here in delaware, the shelters, three of them, three red cross shelters are already open. they are at schools throughout the state. we are told by the red cross, they have food and beds and

counselors to help people deal with the potential dramatic loss of property and even hopefully not, but even the potential loss of life. but we have seen huge, huge surf. since it hasn't started to rain here, yet. we hava seen a lot of people on the beach. everyone has a camera. they come out, they take a picture and they retreat. in the last five machines or so, the winds have really, really picked up here. there were 10 times more people, two minutes ago, but right now, there is a lot of sand coming up, off the beach, a lot of water is starting to pool in the areas, since the tide is so low on the water and on the sand and come up and it's really pelting people. people are heading in. they have got until 8:00 p.m., until the governor here, to evacuate. and then at that point, they need to be where they are going. he wants everybody to evacuate

on the coast and low-lying areas by 8:00 tonight. less than 8 hours for people. >> shannon: we hope they will heed the warnings. thank you for the update. >> shannon: the deadly attack on the u.s. consulate and annex in libya, including information showing the cia operators in the region were denied requests for help and that's races -- raises questions about whether or not the deaths of the four americans could have been prevented. joining us to discuss the development, k.t. mcfarland. thank you for your time today. >> pleasure, shannon. >> reporter: captain t., you have heard the reporting from jennifer grif and i know others. >> right. >> reporter: >> shannon:s on what we are hearing from the inching and our internal sources, do you think as senator mccain said, it's one of the worst coverups he has seen in his lifetime. >> it's definitely a coverup.

somebody's lying. the president said, we will take all measures, he gave the go ahead, the state department said, we are not sure. the defense department has said, fog of war and the cia said nobody made any requests of us. somebody's lying. there were requests made and somebody denied the requests. they didn't do it once, they did it 3 times, they didn't do it quickly, it was over a period of 7 hours. this is a coverup. i have been in the white house in coverups, i was in the white house in the nixon administration in the watergate and i was in the pentagon in the iran-contra coverup. what happens is there is a predictsable pattern of the first, there is a real screwup of policy. in this case, a massive screwup. then the administration, and the white house says, we don't want to have a fallout that will affect the president politically, so they throw a lot of dust up, so nobody knows whap.

you are not sure who is at fault. but eventually, the dust settles and then people start looking around for who to blame. that's the point at which we are now, but ultimately, the career professionals, whether it's the foreign service officer, the military, the intelligence officers, someone from a career civil service comes out as a whistle-blower, that's what happened in watergate, thy my guess that's what is happening now. we will find out who gave the orders, but it may not be soon. >> shannon: what do you think could be the timeline? we are getting new information every day, but there are so many puzzle pieces and we are missing a few. >> you are missing a few because there are a couple of things that happened. we know there was a delta force, rescue force in sicily that could have been there in two hours, they were ready to go. they were not told to g. they could have been told, even if they didn't know their mission, they could have been deployed and been there just in case.

look about with the storm coverage of hurricane sandy, people all over the east coast of the united states, they are preparing for something. they tonight know what will happen, they are preparing. that's not what happened with the benghazi raid. people were not prepared in advance, while it was ongoing, there were emails and cell phone and a surveillance drone, nobody was confused about what was going on, the confuse was why didn't they deploy? and were the drones armd? could they have been used? >> reporter: k.t. mcfarland, we appreciate your experience and insight on matters of national security. >> reporter: who's up, who's down, which poll are you looking at? the pundits and pollsters do agree. this is an extraordinarily tight presidential race. was there anything either campaign can do for a left- minute -- last-minute edge.

stay with us. my doctor told me calcium is efficiently absorbed in small continuous amounts. citracal slow release continuously releases calcium plus d with efficient absorption in one daily dose. citracal slow release. and you learned something along the way. this is the age of knowing what you're made of. so, why let erectile dysfunction get in your way? talk to your doctor about viagra. 20 million men already have. ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain; it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects include headache, flushing, upset stomach, and abnormal vision. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. this is the age of taking action. viagra. talk to your doctor.

see if america's most prescribed ed treatment is right for you.

>> shannon: president obama and governor romney are spending most of their final days in swing states. polls show the race is extremely close, in fact, it is a dead heat in the latest poll. how does either side win over the voters in the final days? we have a representative from the republican national committee and the communications director for the obama campaign. welcome to you both i felt thank you. >> shannon: we are going to start with shawn. there has been a lot of momentum. the romney campaign's very excited about that. but there are places where he has never been in the lead, ohio, wisconsin. how do you think there will be a last-minute turn that benefits him? >> in ohio, we started 7, 8 points down a month ago and we closed it to 5, 3 and as you said this morning, it's dead

evening. when you look at our ground game, there is no question that not only do we have the momentum, the work on the ground will take us over the top. what you have seen is that the democrats like to put out numbers about the early vote and there is no question, they do a better job, early voting, but hayare not doing as good of a job as they did in 20 where are 8 or a -- 2008. >> how does this work in the final days? you have resources, but they're limited. you can't blanket adads with all 50 states. how do you stied what is a lock for governor romney or what is unwinnable and how you reroute? >> right. we are definitely ahead in florida, north carolina, virginia. we are doing -- >> shannon: virginia's pretty tight their though. >> when you look internally, we feel very good about the way thing moving in virginia and

colorado. we are moving to minnesota, pennsylvania, michigan. i think wisconsin will come in for us in the end. >> shannon: that's a tough one. we saw a lot of upheaval with cot walker. do you think what happened with his recall effort that he fought off over the summer, maybe organized a grassroots ground game that the republicans didn't have? >> it wasn't just the scott walker race, but a senate recall and a supreme court race, we won all three. the data and the motivation and the enthusiasm and the ground game we put in place will help usic to totake us to victory in november in the presidential race. we feel very good about the infrastructure and the data we have and again, when it goes to the absentee ballots, what what we are seeing is a continued trend, not only in the states i mentioned but a lot of these to continue the trend, to continue to go for governor romney.

>> shannon: let's talk about hurricane sandy and the meteorologists say will live up to the hype and people could be without power for days. and the primary concern is for the safety of the individuals in the path of the storm. but the fact is, it could impact the early voting and hopefully, the power will be restored by a week from tuesday, but that's a real possibility. it's chasing the candidates away from the states. and governor romney was set to campaign with the governor. the washington post poll shows the president up by 4 points. our poll on friday showed romney up by 2 in virginia. it's a very competitive state. how much does it hurt him not being able to campaign in the final days? >> the number-1 concern we have is for the people in the storm's path. the storm's scheduled to come on in the next 24 hours and last until wednesday. i think that will give us enough time for people to get back into their homes and get power back and then, plepy of time to vote.

it may have a -- plenty of time to vote. i think we will will be fine by election day. again, that's something we want to make sure that the people are okay. >> shannon: we know you have your generator ready, as many in virge virmg do. thank you. >> you bet. >> shannon: fair and balanced. let's check in with the obama communications campaign director. thank you for your time. >> thank you for having me. >> shannon: because we are talking about the storm, newt gingrich said that the president is canceling campaign events and taking in briefings on the hurricane, something he didn't do in the wake of benghazi, he headed off to a fund-raisener las vegas. is that a fair criticism? >> look, with all due respect to speaker gingrich, i think that's a lack of understanding about the situations. the president has a full-time job on top of campaigning, he is doing what he needs to do to make sure that we are ready as a federal team. but in benghazi, he was getting

regular briefings, like he always does. he has to balance being the commander in chief and being the campaigner in chief and he is doing a good job. >> reporter: >> shannon: i get the emails from the president's campaign, i see the number of editorial endorsems rolling none over another, but a key one that went to governor romney, the des moines register, has not endorsed a republican in 40 years. they endorsed al gore, michael dukakis, over 40 years, how do you react to the fact that having talked extensively, that governor romney is a better pick for this country, moving forward. >> if we learned one thing yesterday from the des moines register, editor probably isn't going to vote for barack obama. luckily, he has one vote. we are talking to voters across the state. getting back to what shawn was saying, early voting is critical in iowa. 30% already cast their votes and

they are trending better than they did for obama in '08. we are comfortable with where we are in the state. we know we have a very solid ground game and we are ready to move forward and close the deal. >> reporter: speaking of momentum, with the polls, trending in favor of governor romney. how do you stem that tide, and represent that you have the momum, with nine days to go? >> well, look, if you look at state poll after state poll, you are seeing that the tame same thing we thought we would see, a tight race, but where the president is up or tied in every battleground state. you are hearing a lot of spin. you heard shawn reference states like minnesota. i don't know what polls he is looking at, but every poll we have seen, we are up 5, 6, 7, 8 points. they are going to spin this and try to push the map. but if you look at the real numbers and the early vote, i think it's clear that the president is in a good spot and we are going to push hard to

close this out. >> shannon: do you think it's fair to americans that what is happening in this campaign, it is coming down to a happenedful of states and the fact is, there is a possibility, as there is every time, but more so this time, there could be a difference between the popular vote and the electoral college. if the president is re-elected under those circumstances, does he have a mandate in his second term to go after the things he promised to do? >> look, this is the system that we have. i think you can argue about it, one way or the other. but the really reality is these are the stas where the election will be decided. they are states we are very comfortable n. we are fighting for every vote. we'll spend more time and resources in the key states. but we expect the voters across the country to support the president. we are comfortable that on election day, we will have won the popular vote and the electoral college because people understand what is at stake. what is at stake is moving the country forward and continuing to build on the economic process or taking a giant step backwards

to the economic policies that put us here in the first place. we will keep talking to the voters. we are excited to be fighting for every vote. >> >> shannon: thank you very much. >> thank you very much. >> shannon: the northeast is one of the most dysdensely populated areas of the country and now it's the bull's-eye for hurricane sandy. the latest next. begin. tomato, obviously. haha. there's more than that though, there's a kick to it. wahlalalalallala! smooth, but crisp. it's kind of like drinking a food that's a drink, or a drink that's a food, woooooh! [ male announcer ] taste it and describe the indescribable.

could've had a v8. [ male announcer ] taste it and describe the indescribable. wooohooo....hahaahahaha! oh...there you go. wooohooo....hahaahahaha! i'm gonna stand up to her! no you're not. i know. you know ronny folks who save hundreds of dollars switching to geico sure are happy. how happy are they jimmy? happier than a witch in a broom factory. get happy. get geico.

fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis sympto. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. celebrex can be taken with or without food. and it's not a narcotic. you and your doctor should balance the benets with theisks. all prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen, and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. they all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease risk factors suh as high blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. nsaids, including celebrex,

increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions or stomach a intestine problems, such as bleeding and cers, which can occur without warning and may cause death. patients also taking aspirin and the eldey are at incrsed risk for stoch bleeding and ulcers. do not take celebrex if you've had an asthma attack, hives, or other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. get help rightway if you have swelng of the face or throat, or trouble breathing. tell your doctor your medical history and find an arthritis treatment for you. visit celebrex.com and ask your doctor about celebrex. for a body in motion. [ male announcer ] it started long ago. the joy of giving something everything you've got. it takes passion. and it's not letting up anytime soon. at unitedhealthcare insurance company, we understand that commitment. and always have. so does aarp, an organization serving the needs of americans 50 and over for generations.

so it's no surprise millions have chosen an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement plans, they help cover some of the expenses medicare doesn't pay. and save you up to thousands in out-of-pocket costs. to find out more, request your free decision guide. call or go online today. after all, when you're going the distance, it's nice to have the experience and commitment to go along with you. keep dreaming. keep doing. go long. >> shannon: some unbelievable images from nasa to show you how nasty hurricane sandy is getting. this satellite image shows the massive sides of the storm. video from the international space station on friday gave us another amazing view of the hurricane. right now, hurricane-force wins

extend 175 miles out from the center. that massive storm could cause major issues in the east coast as it slowly moves towards land. rick has the latest on the hurricane sandy path. hi, rick. >> reporter: tropical storm-force winds extend 525 miles. when you get that much of an area with that strong of wind, you get an incredible storm surge. that's the major concern in the big population bull's-eye into the northeast. say the center of the storm moves onshore, where they are expecting it and where the models like like they are going to do. on the right of that, you are on the bad side with the most significant storm surge. this causes big problems, the way the land is hape shaped, the water can't get out here. we will see 6 to 10 feet out of new york harbor, here in manhattan. we will see 6 to 11 feet coming down the long island sound. right there, those two areas meet with the east river on the

east side of manhattan. water can't get anywhere, once it funnels into both of those sites. there is nowhere for it to go. and because of that, the mayor has ordered the evacuation in zone amptle of this map. there you go. if you want to go back to the map, let's show you, a lot of areas in red, a lot of population zone here, that's manhattan. these are the boroughs here, staten island, brooklyn, queen, anywhere in the red, people have torques evacuate. but the subway's closed down as of 7:00. a big impact to the city, but a huge swath of the country will be pummeled by this one. the midatlantic states, into the central appalachians, we will see winds, 50 to 60 miles per hour, towards chicago, because of that, we have flood watches in from lake flooding in chicago. this storm has far-reaching impacts for us and it will be a long one, two to three days.

>> shannon: we will check back repeatedly. come up on america's news headquarters. >> at this hour, governors up and down the east coast are making tough decisions about emergency plans for hurricane sandy. virginia governor mcdonnell was supposed to spend the day campaigning with mitt romney. now he is preparing his swing state for a super storm. we will get an update from the governor. they fight for our counselry, but are we doing enough to protect their votes? senator cornyn is pushing to do more to protect management ballots from overseas. a report on our deadly attack on libya. we have new evidence that personnel on the ground were denied requests on the ground during the attack. and more coming up in the second hour of america's news headquarters.

olaf's pizza palace gets the most rewards of any small business crit card! pizza!!!!! [ garth ] olaf's small business earns 2% cash back on every purchase, everday! helium delivery. put it on my spark card! [ pop! ] [ garth ] why settle for less? great businesses deserve the most rewards! awesome!!! [ male announcer ] the spark business card from capitalne. choose unlimited rewards with 2% cash back or double miles on every purchase, every day! what's in your wallet?

gee just like any other election season, voter fraud is always a concern. there have been 15 convictions on election fraud cases this year and others continue to pop up. we take a look at virginia, a key swing state in this election. >> eric: 23-year-old collin

small worked for a republican party contractor, charge would by a local prosecutor with throwing completed voter registration forms in the dumpster. the case is being investigated by the state's attorney general. >> what we brings to this is a statewide look to see if this reached beyond just this one person, did it represent the way that the company he may work for did business, were there other people undertaking the same sorts of activities. >> eric: three congressmen are calling for a federal investigation and small's employer. it turns out, one of the democrats calling for the feds, northern virginia congressman, jim horan, has suffered an embarrassing political setback of his own. moran's son, patrick, has resigned from his father's campaign, after being caught on tape, apparently giving tips on how it commit voter fraud.

>> the impact there it looks like you can identify that... >> eric: he was secretly recorded by a controversial activist. at first, he resisted after he was approached, but eventually offered advice on how to illegally cast ballots for people who he was told wouldn't show up at the polls. >> eric: he told the associated press in a statement, he was not taking the person seriously, thought he was unstable and joking and that he was only humors him. moran admits in hindsight, he should have immediately walked away. >> shannon: thanks to eric shawn. we have live team coverage up and down the east coast. after the break, we will head to new york, where they are expecting a huge impact on

travel and the work week because of hurricane sandy. managing my diabetes is part of my life, between taking insulin and testing mylood sugar... is this part of your life? freestyle lite test strips? why, are they any... beep! wow, that hardly needs any blood! yeah... and the unique zipwik tab targets the blood and pulls it in. so easy. freestyle lite needs just a third the blood of onetouch ultra. really? yep, which is great for people who use insulin and test a lot. max and i are gonna run out and get them right now. or you can call or click today and get strips and a meter free. test easy.

>> shannon: many pundits and pollsters say this election hinges on what happens in ohio. several polls over the last week and now polling from ohio newspapers show a virtual tie. the latest shows both candidates at 49%. compare that to the real clear

politics average. president obama does maintain an almost two-point lead. one key group of people being targeted by both campaigns in ohio, undecided women. the latest fox poll in ohio shows obama holds a significant lead but the romney campaign believes it is gaining ground. mike tobin in columbus with more. >> a solid majority of the coveted undecided vote in ohio is women. no voter is microtargetted more aggressively. >> our voice matters and we do count as women and our opinion and our role is held high. >> i have seen a lot that has to do with abortion. a lot that seem to it deal with equal pay and that really speaks out to me. >> which do you believe. >> obama supporters hit hard on the concept that a romney win would threaten healthcare and remove women's choices. >> overturn roe v. wade. planned parenthood. we will get hid of that. >> and linked mitt romney to

the controversial statements about rape and abortion made by todd akin and richard murdoch. >> that it is something that god intended to happen. >> because they are provocative and extreme they are getting attention of the women voters. >> conservatives operating with the strategy that women voters care about the same things men do. >> being a woman you think about your children and their future. >> the economy is driving the issue set in ohio not this trumped up war on reproductive rights. i don't think that is another message for the other side. >> april is a saw the after undecided woman in ohio. the efforts are falling flat. >> i am a sing isle gal and i want the job security and that soft thing. women's issues sure they are important but they just aren't hugely important to me. >> women voters remain the last moveable part of the elector ate.

specifically in ohio they could decide the presidency. shannon, back to you. >> shannon: with just nine days to go in the election, hurricane sandy is wreaking havoc on the candidate's campaign schedules including important swing states. i'm shannon bream live in washington. hour number two of america's news headquarters in the battleground state of virginia. earlier this morning i talked with the state's governor about storm preps and a presidential race that is going down to the wire. thank you so much for taking time out of your schedule. your state is one many preparing for are a serious storm. update us on your preparations so far. >> shannon, i think we are ready. being a coastal state we are used to these kinds of things just not this late in the season and followed by a cold front and having a storm that might last three or four days. i declared a state of emergency. the national guard called up. extra state police. fema will be on the ground today. we have local declarations of

emergency to allow shelters and curfews and evacuations to be order. i think everybody is ready. the big issue, of course, s winds and heavy rain for three days or so which means power lines down because of fallen trees. that is the biggest issue is ask people to stay off the roads, be safe. be good neighbors to one another and just use common sense. it may take awhile for power to be restored because there is going to be a lot of people probably without power. >> shannon: do you have concerns it will impact any type of early voting or even extend into november 6 where there may be areas and folks without power at that point still on the date of election? >> we have con sin gentcy plans in place. we add the registrar's offices and voting place as one of the top priorities for restoration along with hospitals and police stations and others. we he have lots of information available about the abis sente

voting. we don't have early voting in virginia. we do have absentee if you have is a legitimate reason. we will mike sure the offices are staying open and open late if necessary in order to accommodate that. i think we are ready. >> shannon: the storm, of course, affected the campaign trail as well. you were to be out campaigning on behalf of the romney ryan ticket. both the presidential contenders have agreed to cancel events in virginia so you can move forward with storm plans. i want to look at polls at how tight it is in the commonwealth. our latest poll has the romney ryan ticket up by two points. there is a new poll out from the washington post which gives the president a four-point advantage in virginia. ultimately boil it down to the average it is a tee right now, 47.8% for each ticket. how does the romney camp close strong and bring home the commonwealth for republicans? >> i do appreciate governor romney calling yesterday and

checking on the weather situation and agreeing to cancel three events today. the president tomorrow as well. i think it is probably a dead heat but momentum clearly moving towards governor romney and it is because the issues really matter to virginia voters are in romney's favor. the jobs picture. governor romney has a plan. the president presided over 43 months of 8% unemployment. the crushing debt that is going to get worse under the president. governor romney has a plan. defense cuts which hurt our state badly, shannon and leave our military less prepared. 200,000 jobs being lost. governor romney says he will reverse that. the president has been a bistander and won't lead. people concerned about benghazi with the news coming out that the president said he he gave an order for things to be taken care of and maximum resources applied and secretary panetta don't follow through. why weren't we prepared and why are four americans dead and we

don't have is a good plan of what we are going to do? i think these are the issues that will effect virginia voters. our grass roots effort the best it has been for the republican team. i think we can compete with the democrats well, this time. >> shannon: you mentioned benghazi and it has taken a lot of attention and headlines the last few weeks. with breaking news the last couple of days of learning more about what we knew about requests for help and how those were handled. democrats say there is an ongoing investigation and they need time to gather accurate information and the republicans are attempting to politicize it to hurt the president in his reelection bid. how do you respond? >> that is not accurate. for the first 30 days that is what i said is let's wait for the investigation. it has been 45 days now sense the september 11th attack and the president hasn't been transparent. we he don't have answers and why weren't we prepared. why were requests for

additional security from ambassador stevens denied. why did they blame it on a video when they knew in real time this was a coordinated terrorist attack. why do we have four dead americans right now and no plan it seems like us you to do anything about it and the biggest issue, shannon is we are learning in the last couple of days that the president said that he dave orders to do everything they could have gave orders to do sering they could to protect those americans when they came under attack. and yet they didn't get the help. and now secretary panetta says he refused the help. is the president mistaken or did the secretary fail to carry out an order? this is a serious question. the president ought to come clean on this and be he transparent and have a press conference and answer questions if he wants to be the commander if chief. that is the issue. it is about leadership and about trust. >> shannon: sir, our thoughts and prayers are with you and

the folks in the commonwealth as you brace for the storm and along the east coast as well. thanks for taking time out for us. >> thank you, shannon. >> shannon: the president amy winehouse candidates being forced to make tough decisions as sandy turns up the east coast. the superstorm is forcing the candidates to cra scrap their s at the last minute. >> the president is going to go to the headquarters of fema today and get a briefing and make remarks. we will be following that and let you know what news comes from that. some are calling hurricane sandy the october surprise in the presidential election and the candidates are trying to work around the massive storm while keeping up the campaign pace. president obama has canceled a campaign stop in virginia monday and a colorado event on tuesday. he will leave tonight for an event in florida tomorrow and then return to washington to monitor the storm. the with us says the president is getting regular updates on

sandy and one democratic strategist says all presidents have to balance a lot of things at once. >> this is just part of his life and i think all hurricane sandy dose is add another wrinkle to what is a very challenging job. >> governor romney planned to campaign in virginia today but he has canceled all of h his events in the old dominion state. he said he talked with virginia republican governor bob mcdonald and the two decided that state emergency personnel need to focus on storm prep and not on political events. here is what governor romney said about the storm. >> keep the folks in virginia and new jersey and new york and on o the coast in your minds and in your hearts. you know how it tough these hurricanes can be and our hearts go out to them. >> instead of virginia, governor romney will link up with his vice presidential running mate paul ryan for three stops around ohio today. these are rallies that ryan was already planning to attend and now the governor will join with

him. shannon? >> shannon: and when you find out more about the fema event with the president you will let us know. >> definite will. >> shannon: we asked you, is if you live in a swing state like, virginia, or ohio are you tired of the ads and phone calls and the polling. if you don't live in a swing state do you feel like you you have been ignored? there is still plenty of time to weigh in. tweet us. we will read more responses later on in the show. now, back to the superstorm that is threatening the entear east coast. hurricane sandy is already responsible for at least 60 deaths. right now, churning off the coast of north carolina and the northeast is bracing for a huge impact. our live team coverage starts with chief meteorologistist rick reichmuth in our fox

extreme weather center and anna live on long island. we start with rick. >> very incredible storm and fromminging storm. it will be under the influence of two different features. one is hurricane sandy. still the warm water below and still potentially strengthening from that. off towards the west a front moving in and this hurricane is stuck between high pressure off to the east and this front. that colder air is sunday this warmer air is going to rapidly strengthen the storm as we move forward over the next 2436 hours. it will also change it from a hurricane to a different type of a storm leak a nor'easter. just because we are not talking about hurricane eventual hly do not let it get your guard down and think it will not be a big storm. it will likely be the most significant storm we have dealt with here across parts of the mid atlantic and new york city and parts of connecticut and cape cod and the islands. these are a little bit confusing. where you see the rings those are areas that equal pressure.

tight together, it is very windy. two different models to get a forecast idea and when they start to get in agreement you like it. they start to spread tomorrow afternoon only in the speed of the is storm. the first one moves right there into central jersey around 6:00 p.m. tomorrow night. the second behind it strengthens a little longer and has more time over water but then continues to move in shore. the track we file confident about. because of that this area north jersey, new york city, all of long island and long island sound is the biggest threat for significant storm surge 5 to 10 feet in many cases and in addition to that we are potentially going to see strong wave energy up to 20-foot waves on top of that. going to cause significant damage to the shores of long island. anna is there in long beach, long island. you are in for a world of hurt out there. are people taking this seriously? >> yeah, you know what they are. but you can see quite a few

surfers behind me but we can tell you that nassau county residents who live in low-lying areas and storm surge zones are now under a mandatory evacuation and authorities are saying that now is the time to move. once winds get up to 55 miles an hour, debris flying around could be deadly. foolings filling up sandbags bracing for are hurricane sandy's wrath and the red cross has shelters in place assisting residents as well. forecasters expecting sandy to bring wild storm surge and be a drawn out supersoaker. airlines already canceling more than 3,000 flights. hubs along the east coast are being affected the most. new york city buses, subways and rail service will be suspended starting at 7:00 tonight. and new york city mayor michael bloomberg saying the 1.1 million stew you dents in the city's school system will not be having class tomorrow. he also ordered an evacuation for the lower portion of

manhattan and also low-lying area in the borough of queens. back to you. >> i think we will see the winds get to the 55-mile an hour range by tomorrow morning. people need to have is a place to go. this will not be like irene. this will be a much more are significant storm and likely the most significant storm there that anybody there in that area has ever lived through. back to you now. >> rick,ing thank you very much. >> shannon: the scandal surrounding the terror attack in benghazi just keeps growing. we had utah congressman jason chaffetz on the show. here is what he had to say about his conversation with commander of the u.s. africa command about requests for cia operatives for help during the benghazi assault. >> ky tell you on a first hand account in my meeting i dissed specifically did we have resources in the area the

answer is, yes. did we have proximity and the answer is, yes. asked why we didn't send in the assets the general said he was not requested to do so meaning that somebody higher up than him. he is a four star general which there aren't a whole lot of people between him and the president did not request him to take action and that is what is so concerning. did requests per collate up from the ground for the people there? we'll have to see what the answer to those questions are. but was he directed by the president or the secretary of defense? he said no. >> shannon: the attack on the u.s. consulate and annex was a hot topic on the sunday shows. chris wallace sat down with two senators from the homeland security committee and two in the intelligence commit ion sunday. >> the issue of benning is umbrellaing up. people are demanding answers from the administration and i think that will have a big impact in the state of wisconsin. >> any impartial observer who

looks at what happened in benghazi would have to say this situation has been politicize. >> there has been a lot of confusion about what happened and why it happened. bottom line, chris, it shows a lack of leadership and policy in disarray. >> frankly some of the reports even that your network has issued nye understanding at least the administration has categorically denied. >> i couldn't understand why did they allow them to die. why didn't they send help. i don't know anything about tactical weapons or anything like that but i do know that they could have sent something and i have been told it would have been a c-130. >> shannon: a grieving father questioning why his son had to die in the terror attack on benghazi. that was charles woods reacting to shocking accounts by fox news sources. they say that cia operatives called for backups several times during the fire fight and their requests is were denied.

navy' son tyrone a former seal was one of those killed. a spokesman says the agency reacted quickly to aid our colleagues during the terrible evening in benghazi. but, of course, many questions remain ununanswerred. >> the votes that our military men and women cast in that election may not count. we will talk to texas senator are john cornyn about that coming up. jack, you're a little boring. boring. boring. [ jack ] after lauren broke up with me, i went to the citi private pass page and decided to be...not boring. that's how i met marilyn... giada... really good. yes! [ jack ] ...and alicia. ♪ this girl is on fire [ male announcer ] use any citi® card to get the benefits of private pass.

more concerts. more events. more experiences. [ jack ] hey, who's boring now? [ male announcer ] get more access with a citi card. [ crowd cheering, mouse clicks ] talking about the low price guarantee. that's your receipt from another store? yes sir! let's put it to the test! okay! if you find a lower advertised price, they'll match it right at the register. really? low price on reese's! low price on kit kat! low price on hershey! and the savings is sweeter than the candy. there you have it! you're kidding! that's the walmart low price guarantee! see for yourself! bring in yo last receipt and see how much you can save. save more on the candy your family loves

with hauntingly low prices on all their hershey favorites. get more halloween for your money, guaranteed. walmart!

>> shannon: happen bhappy birty liberty. the statue turned 126 years old today. an extra reason to celebrate, the statue reopens today and, once again, visitors can climb the stairs all the way up to her crown. fox news has exclusively confirmed that calls for backup during the benghazi attack were repeatedly denied. the revealation comes just days after state department e-mails showing administration officials had reason to believe the terror attack was likely carried out by a group linked to al-qaeda. congressman pete king joins us

live. thank you for your are team. >> very welcome, shannon, thank you. >> shannon: who at this point as the field begins to narrow do you believe has the ultimate answers as to what happened in benghazi that day? can they be subpoenaed and forced to testify? >> i think the only one that has the ultimate answers is the president of the united states and whether or not he can be subpoenaed that is a legallish shu. the president has the moral and legal obligation to come forward and tell what happened here. the president keeps saying he wants to investigate to find out what happened. it may take time to investigate what happened in benghazi. what the president should be able to answer immediately what happened in the white house during the 6, 67, 8 hours they were getting a live account of what was happening in benghazi and requests were coming in for aid and assistance to save american lives and he knew american lives were being threatened. he was in the white house the entire time. he says he gave orders to save the lives to protect the americans. who did he give the order to. what did they say back to him.

was he in contact with general petraeus and secretary panetta and john brennan? who was he in contact with? hillary clinton? who made the decisions? when did they make h them? also since they knew that the consulate was in danger did they have reis serve and contingency plans as to what would happen if it was attacked. you have a president giving orders to save american lives but lives were not saved. and what did the president do? he went to las vegas. i would have thought george bush, bill clinton, they would not have left the white house until they he find out what happened. also remember after bin laden was killed we sawal of these photo the president in the situation room and who was there and what they were doing. why don't we see those photos now you and what he was doing when the attack was being care relationshipped out? >> the spokesman for the national security council said neither the president nor any one else at the white house denied requests for help to benghazi.

where does that leave you to suspect the answer the decision was made to stand down? was it internally at the cia. we have heard from secretary clinton and secretary panetta. i have not seen the director of the cia speak about this publicly. do you think he is the one who has the answers. >> shannon, my understanding is director petraeus his office put out a statement yesterday saying that no one at the cia ever denied a request for support.s yo general petraeus is saying he is not the one who denied it. if the president gave the order who countermamded that order. somehow they are trying to suggest maybe it was general hamm who was the regional commander. i can't believe that. general hamm has been out front on this issue talking about the danger of al-qaeda going back several months ago when my committee did hearings on this issue before we ever even had this crisis.

i think there s a lot of buck pass. this has to stop with the president. if not there is a dysfunctional national security operation and that is also an indictment of the president. one way or the other either the president made the decision or somebody under him did not follow his orders or failed to report to him or maybe sort of a lack of interest. again, i'm not trying to make a political point here. how in the midst of this disaster how he could have gone to las vegas and now 45 days later still trying to find out what happened. >> shannon: your colleague, jason chaffetz, we talked to him this morning about general hamm because he visited with him and spoke with him first hand and he says he is a four star general and a he says that he was not requested to help meaning and this is according chaffetzongressman chaffiest told us. him to not be requested to take action is to concerning and leaves a small group of people who may have been responsible for that decision.

i know the house has held one hearing and you are on it and won't let up. as you get more news, let us know. >> jason chaffetz is reit on target and i agree with him completely. >> shannon: are military votes actually going to get counted? texas senator john cornyn has publicly called out the pentagon to make sure the votes count. also the man in charge of getting republicans elected to the senate. we will look at key races and break them down with senator cornyn, next.

suspension and agility. the only trail capable side-by sides, featuring the ultimate value rzr 570. the only 4-passenger sport machines, lead by the all-new rzr xp 4. and the undisputed king of high performance, rzr xp. razor sharp performance. only from polaris. get huge rebates on 2012's and low financing on all models during the polaris factory authorized clearance. [ male announcer ] it's time for medicare open enrollment. are you ready? time to compare plans and see what's new. you don't have to make changes, but it's good to look. maybe you can find better coverage, save money, or both. and check out the preventive benefits you get after the health care law. ♪ medicare open enrollment. now's the time. visit medicare.gov or call 1-800-medicare.

♪

>> shannon: all along the east coast people are getting ready for hurricane sandy. so far in the u.s., the big etan impacts have been gusty winds and rough surf at much beaches. north carolina where the waves are are crashing against the pier. sandy is expected to move northward today and will likely make landfall in the u.s. tomorrow.

the storm killed nearly 60 people as it went through the caribbean. there has been a whole lot of talk about how the hurricane could affect early voting. maryland governor tweeted out he willle be canceling early voting statewide tomorrow because of hurricane sandy. we will see how it impacts other places as well. governor romney getting ready for a campaign event in ohio. that state is arguably this the most important in the election and polls there show the race is getting tighter than ever. carl cameron joins us there live. hi, carl. >> hi there, shannon. we are on route 33 en route to salina, ohio, having canceled all of mitt romney's events today the storm hurricane sandia made it necessary to cancel the afternoon event in virginia and then canceled two other events is steering clear of the coastline and big storm. which means another visit to ohio from mr. romney. he and aurora will bot and pau'

appear together. the latest poll says it is now an actual tie. 49% to 49%. a remarkable crescendo. and with all of that, today on the sunday shows, the surrogates were battling it out on behalf of their candidates. watch. >> i also feel like the momentum is on our side. i have been at six of the rallies over the last week and at about a dozen victory centers around the state and the energy and enthusiasm is on our side this year. it is interesting to watch. we were down probably five to ten points before the debates. after the debates we are about dead even and moving our weigh. >> i do think that governor romney gained a little after the first debate. i think it leveled off and this race is exactly where you and i have been -- i said this to you many times over the course of

the last year it is a close race but as you look at the battleground states we are even or ahead in virtually all of them in these critical states like, ohio. >> since the republican convention, paul ryan and mitt romney combined have been here to ohio 26 times. they have had more than 40 actual campaign events here. yesterday in florida, big crowd and for mitt romney he is now walking a delicate line trying to rally the conservative republican base and inner are gaze them to get to the polls and courting moderate i independent swing voters. here is a little sample from florida last night. >> when i become president i will meet rigly with democratic leaders and republican leaders and talk about our challenges and look for places there is common ground because it is just too critical for us to keep going done the same path. the president has no plan for

the future. he has no agenda. he has no way to put americans back to work. >> there you hear mitt romney last night in tampa and we will hear him today in salina and later tonight in marion, ohio. paul ryan campaigning with him. the countdown is very much underway and with it comes the final sprint for the grass roots ground game. the romney campaign acknowledges here in ohio which could decide this election we have been saying it for more than a year the president has far more infrastructure. more than 130 offices here. they argue that democrats have been disaffected with the president and they have been upset with the way he has run the country the last four years. shannon? >> shannon: campaign carl live on the trail. less than 200 hours before the election. i'm sure he is counting every one. our thanks to carl.

gop leaders are hoping to make significant gains in the senate. a tough campaign season. texas senator and national republican senatorial chair john cornyn joins us live. thank you for your time. >> thanks, shannon. >> shannon: i want to start with an issue you have done a lot of work on recently. the overseas ballots. you authored a letter to the secretary of defense asking the pentagon to do its job when it comes to these votes. are you confident they will be handled properly? >> well, i'm very disappointed in the response of the pentagon and the mill tare relationship leadership to making sure that our deployed military can exercise their movi most fundal right and that is their right to vote. there was legislation mandating that on mill tare relationship installations there be voting assistance facilities and the inspector general has documentd that only about half of the bases complied with those laws.

and we know that many in many places absentee he ballot requests are way down from deployed military and it is a national disgrace and i'm very disappointed in the pentagon's failure to lead on this issue. >> shannon: we know that you constantly keep an eye on that issue. one you have been working on for years. we will check back with you on that in the wake of this election and see if improvements are made. talk about the senate where you are tasked with adding to the republican column there. missouri has been a tricky difficult race this time around. clare mccass kill facing off against todd aken. the latest poll gives senator mccakkill a two-point advantage there. do you have any resources invested there? do you think the race is still winnable? >> well, i must say that we hope that senator mccaskill is retired at the end of her current term because she voted down the line with the barack obama agenda as president of

the united states against the wishes of her own constituents there and with governor romney running strongly in missouri it could well be that todd akin will sur are price a lot of people and win that election. we would much prefer that to senator mccaskill remaining in the united states senate. >> shannon: pa pennsylvania has been tightening up the last few days as well. senator bob casey versus tom smith a republican in the race. have you been funneling resources that way with hopes that that will tighten up and be a possible pickup for republicans? >> tom smith has done a magnificent job really catching senator casey napping and assuming that heel be elected without even having to run much of a campaign. and now that race has closed dramatically. we have seen within some polling within two points and the problem with polling for if you are an incumbent s it is is just a snapshot and doesn't really measure momentum and all of the momentum has been going

in tom smith's direction against senator casey. with nine days to go i feel good that pennsylvania will be an opportunity for us for a peckup and, yes, we are making a substantial investment in the state because we think tom smith has a real shot there. >> shannon: let's turn to florida because that is another state where mitt romney has gained significantly in the polling and many of them now showing him leading president obama. you have a tight senate race there as well. how well do you think you will be able to capitalize on any opportunity there and be able to tighten that race? >> well, governor romney is going to win in in florida. i think every poll reflects that at this point and certainly the better he does the better it is for our candidate or are nominee connie mack who is running against the long entrenched incumbent there in bill nelson. we think this is an opportunity for us. congressman mack had the challenge of a late primary

with not much in the way of resources while bill nelson was able to stockpile millions of dollars which he has used relentlessly in negative advertising against congressman mack. i think florida is one of those places where we could wake up the day after this election and be surprised by a republican pickup. >> shannon: let's talk about another nail biter here just outside the nation's capital. the virginia race. that sass seasawedded a bit back and forth. our polling showed it very tight. the real clear politics average basically gives tim kaine a 1 percentage-point advantage. think virginia haswaii has been such a tough battle and do you have reason to believe that allen will have the last minute surge? >> as carl cameron noted we have seen the numbers move dramatically across the country

in mitt romney and paul ryan's favor and in virginia that helps our candidates leak george allen. both candidates are well known in virginia. tim kaine, former governor. george allen, former governor and former senator. the difference here is that president obama's agenda which tim kaine has been one of the chief cheerleaders for is unpopular. i believe that george allen will be elected in virginia. george likes to say that it will come down to 10,000 votes and we know where all those votes are so now it is a matter of getting those folks to the polls. i feel very good about virginia. >> shannon: the balance of power hangs in the balance now in the senate. we know you have a lot of work to do and we know regardless of party people very much appreciate your work on behalf of the military make sure that no matter who they are voting for those votes are counted. senator cornyn, thank you very much. >> thanks, shannon. >> shannon: the looming fess cal cliff has a lot of

taxpayers worried. members of the military could have even more to lose. it will trigger massive cuts in defense. we will talk to congressman john garamendi about that, next. the kind of vehicle to move not just people... but an industry forward? are we there yet? are we really? [ male announcer ] are we there yet? we are, for now. introducing the all-new seven passenger gl. motor trend's 2013 sport utility of the year. mercedes-benz. the best or nothing. for their "destination wedding." double miles you can "actually" use. but with those single mile travel cards... [ bridesmaid ] blacked out... but i'm a bridesmaid. oh! "x" marks the spot she'll never sit. but i bought a dress!

a toast... ...to the capital one venture card. fly any airline, any flight, anytime. double miles you can actually use. what a coincidence? what's in your wallet? [ all screaming ] watch the elbows ladies. [ all screaming ] so i test... a lot. do you test with this? freestyle lite test strips? i don't see... beep! wow! that didn't ta much blood. yeah, and the unique zipwik tab targets the blood and pulls it in. so easy. yep. freestyle lite needs just a third the blood of onetouch ultra. really? so testing is one less thing i have to worry about today. great. call or click today and get strips and a meter free. test easy.

stay top of mind with customers? from deals that bring them in with an offer... to social media promotions that turn fans into customers... to events that engage and create buzz... to e-mails that keep loyal customers coming back, our easy-to-use tools will keep you in front of your customers. see what's right for you at constantcontact.com/try.

>> shannon: new york governor is ordering new york city's is transit service to shut down at 7:00 tonight in advance of hurricane sandy. and the city's mayor has orderd that all public schools be closed tomorrow as well. meanwhile, last check the new york stock exchange tells us it plans to open as usual. >> first of all, this is not something that i propose. it is something that congress has proposed. it will not happen. >> shannon: president obama said that sequestration which will trigger across-the-board cuts to domestic and defense programs will not happen but it is on track to kick in unless

congress does something about it. what would it mean for the military and efforts in the middle east and around the world? joining us to talk about it house armed services committee member and congressman from california john garamendi. thank you for joining us today. >> good to be with you, shannon. >> shannon: the president said that with the debates and went on to have an interview with the des moines register editorial board while seeking their endorsement at first saying he didn't want it to be on the record and later are allowing the paper to release the transcript in which he seemed to indicate that sequestration is going to happen or at least be used as a bargaining tool. what is your estimation about the ability of the two sides to come together and get something done? >> we have no choice. we have to get this thing done. we have to come together and find the middle ground and we have been at that for some time and it simply hasn't happened probably because of the election and everybody putting together a very hard line. when the election is over we he can find the middle ground we

must and it will happen. >> shannon: all right. regardless of who is elected or reelect heed come november 6 in the interim time there are a couple of months there that this would have to be hashed out. what are points of agreement that you can see at this point the two sides could agree on? >> speaker boehner said a couple of weeks ago that nothing would happen except kicking the can down the road during the lame duck session. that is a possibility and if that is his view then we will kick the can down the road and then the new congress and the president who i hope is obama but maybe not will have to deal with this and it can be dealt with. it is not just the military side, it is also on the dough h domestic side some important domestic programs will be hurt. there is a middle ground. it has been proposed. both sides quietly have proposed it but with the election just 200 hours away we are not going to see much movement towards the is center until after the election and then i and others will be

there, we will figure this one out. >> shannon: after the election, prior to january if it is possible, to get something hammered out would you be willing to and would you call on colleagues to give up recesses and holidays, whatever it takes to get this done? >> i full le expect that to happen. once again, this is speak boehner's call. if he holds to the position he said a couple of weeks ago apparently we will just kick the can down the road. i don't think that is the best thing to do. i think we ought to get at this and deal with the sequestration issue which is really part of the larger issue of what are we going to do about the deficit and deal with that. many of the leaders are now saying it is going to have to be a balanced approach. there will have to be revenues and serious cuts that have to be made. that that lies the middle ground and that is our task as representatives to get to that middle ground to work across the aisle and just imagine what

we could do if we really worked together. it can happen and it will happen. >> shannon: it would be encouraging i know to americans regardless of party across the country. the president has taken some criticism for not getting more involved in this. do you think that there would be some benefit in him showing leadership and going to the hill and being in the room as hammer itdes try to hampster out? >> ternly not in the next 200 hours. he did that when the sequestration issue came up. it started over the debt limit thing. the republicans held at least the conservative part of the republican caucus in the house said no way were they going to allow the debt limit to be expanded and from that came the compromise of the sequestration and the supercommittee. the supercommittee didn't work out but the president was very, very much involved during that period of time and then the election took over and it is election period. everybody runs toker that corner and talks loudly about

their position. now, we are past that and need to get to work and, yes, the president will be deeply involved. hopefully during the hall meetings duck session following the election up until january and we he can do it. hopefully we will be able to get that done and if not it will be up to the new congress and the president. >> shannon: we salute your optimism and hope for everyone that will be impacted that it will get done. congressman garamendi thank you for your time. >> thank you, shannon. >> shannon: residents are bracing for hurricane sandia. the massive storm could affect millions living along the eastern seaboard. no surprise it is one of our most clicked stories. we will show you that and one of the cool features on fox news .com. [ lisa ] my name's lisa, and chantix helped me quit.

i honestly loved smoking, and i honestly didn't think i would ever quit. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. it put me at ease that you could smoke on the first week. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. if you have a history heart or blood vsel problems,

tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. with chantix and with the support system it worked. it worked for me. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you.

>> shannon: experts predicting sandy could be the biggest storm on record to ever hit the northeast. go to my fox hurricane .com for up to the minute storm radar and get links to your local emergency management systems. stories about hurricane sandy and its path are some of our most clicked stories today. another one, homeland secretary janet napolitano says the numbers show that president obama's controversial immigration program is working. napolitano says more than 3,000 young illegal immigrants

applying daily for the deferred action childhood arrivals program that allows people who are now under the age of of 31 who were brought into the u.s. by their parents illegally to remain in the country for two years if they meet certain conditions with a temporary work permit. and finally, preparing for the some beapocalypse? sort of. in san diego, california, zombies and vampires are going to crash a counter terrorism summit. it will test an emergency response system in a worst case scenario. that is definitely worst case. both ronn and governor romney have tried to appeal to small business owners in stump speeches and adds but a survey is out showing that despite the presidential pitches the job creators still have a whole lot of questions. brenda buttner joins us with details. hi, brenda. >> shannon, you would think that the presidential candidates would be trying to reach small biz owners who are beg-time job creators. the businesses aren't hearing what matters most to them.

that is the word from a just released monthly poll. they are eager to know the differences in the candidates positions on healthcare, access to capital and, of course, the economy. the survey suggests these are more important than who gets an extension of the bush era tax cuts. according to the poll, neither candidate has really said enough about the real cost of obama care. plus the credit crunch for small business is another big worry for owners. the only way to hire and invest is typically through loans from banks. small biz loans only increased short of just about 7 billion bucks. perhaps the more important bottom line but the potential bottom line. the october survey shows they are a lit less confident about the forays the election nears and in last month's is survey it seems that would be president romney to them. two thirds say they expect to vote for the governor as opposed to 20% who will check the box next to president

obama's same but more than half expect the president to be reelected. shannon, back to you. >> shannon: thank you so much. >> thank you. >> shannon: we asked and you answered. you you are really fired up out there. your responses from twitter, next. [ male announcer ] research suggests cell health plays a key role throughout our lives. one a day men's 50+ is a complete multi-vitamin designed for men's health concerns as we age. it has more of 7 antioxidants to support cell health. one a day men's 50+.

introducing the new droid razr maxx hd by motorola. now more than ever droid does.

>> shannon: running rain or shine in washington, d.c. the 37th annual marine corps marathon kicked off in arlington, virginia.

narrowly escaping sandy. officials accepted 37,000 applications to run the race this year. selling out in a little over two and a half hours. the race is the ninth largest marathon in the world. we have been asking swing state voters tired of getting ads phone calls and polling. if you are not a swing state voter, are you feeling ignore ared out there this year? augusta wrotes sick to death of the calls all day long and ads constantly on tv. i'm in wisconsin. that one is running dead even. some of you are feeling left out. meanwhile, tom says he got probably ten calls yesterday. i'm' glad to see them out working to get this done in ohio. thanks for sharing and follow us on twitter. we'll have a big giveaway for the 15,000 p. follower. a happy birthday on a pumpkin doughnut